Dellin Betances hit hard as Portland Sea Dogs romp Trenton Thunder

Martin Griff/The TimesCatcher Jose Gil drove in a pair of runs as the Thunder fell to Portland.

It didn’t appear probable that the Yankees’ top pitching prospects would have their worst outings of the season against the worst teams in the Eastern League in the same week.

But that is what happened.

After last-place Binghamton roughed up Manny Banuelos over the weekend, next-to-last-place Portland quickly disposed of Dellin Betances after 2⅓ innings and seven runs in sending the Thunder to a 13-4 defeat in front of 4,901 at Hadlock Field last night in Portland, Maine.
Just-called-up Robert Lyerly had three hits and two RBIs in his debut.

Betances (3-3) had the shortest outing of his Double-A career while allowing a season-high seven hits to go along with the seven runs (six earned) — both are also season highs — with four walks and a strikeout.

With first-place New Hampshire winning, the second-place Thunder (40-30) dropped to 2½ games behind the Fisher Cats.

Portland (24-44) put up a three-spot on the Thunder in the first inning. Alex Hassan grounded out to second to bring in a run after a single, walk and wild pitch put runners in scoring position. Betances didn’t help himself when a throwing error on a pick-off attempt sent home another run. Reynaldo Rodriguez singled in the third run.

As always, the Thunder managed to rally and scored twice in the third to get within a run against Brock Huntzinger (4-5). Catcher Jose Gil hit his fifth homer of the season for a run, while Lyerly picked up his first Double-A hit, a run-scoring double that plated Ray Kruml.

But Betances gave it all back and then some with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Betances walked a batter and hit a second to set up Rodriguez’s RBI single. Oscar Tejeda followed with another run-scoring single to knock Betances from the game. Naoya Okamoto took over and promptly gave up an RBI single to Jorge Padron and an RBI double to Jonathan Hee.

The Sea Dogs added a pair of runs in the fourth (two-run double by Tim Federowicz) and four in the sixth to blow open the game.

Lyerly, who was called up Monday from Single-A Tampa, collected a second run batted in with a single in the seventh.

The Thunder tagged on a run in the eighth on Gil’s RBI single and a run in the ninth on Jose Pirela’s double.

The Thunder activated Damon Sublett from the disabled list before the game to help fill in one of the two open spots on the active roster.

Sublett appeared in six games for the Thunder, batting .227 with a home run, a triple and two RBIs.